Table of Contents 1) Avanti2) DAF3) International Harvester4) Saab5) Packard Penned by Pininfarina, the Rolls-Royce Camargue had been a seldom-seen model since its debut, and one whose design seemed harsh and uncompromising at the time. Fast-forward some 40 years, and the lines of Camargue seem strangely prescient: All it would […]
Table of Contents
Penned by Pininfarina, the Rolls-Royce Camargue had been a seldom-seen model since its debut, and one whose design seemed harsh and uncompromising at the time. Fast-forward some 40 years, and the lines of Camargue seem strangely prescient: All it would need to look modern are larger wheels and some LED headlights. But back when it was new, the design (and the price) placed it out of reach of many. And even though time has softened its image, thanks to modern Rolls-Royce design, it remains almost as polarizing a design as the Lagonda sedan of the day.
The Camargue arrived on the scene in 1975, sporting very slabby bodywork that sparked comparisons to brutalist architecture. Auto design gurus will recall that Pininfarina offered a very similar design to Mercedes for a large SEC coupe, which was rebuffed, but managed to sell Fiat into something very similar for its 130 coupe, which saw a modest production run. The main event for this design direction, however, was the Rolls-Royce flagship, which became the most expensive offering in the British marque’s range. It shared relatively little with Rolls designs of the day, but did preview some later directions. One reminder of the design’s Italian roots were the taillights, seemingly plucked off a contemporary Fiat sedan, as well as the relatively slim A and B pillars. The resulting car looked visually heavy, with the body dwarfing the relatively small wheels and tires, while the front fascia was knocked for a funereal, Gothic appearance. It was a polarizing design, it’s safe to say, but generous on interior room and comfort, with power provided courtesy of the company’s 6.75-liter V8.
“‘The most luxurious four-seater coupe in the world’ was how the all-new Rolls-Royce Camargue was labeled in 1975, when it was launched,” the auction house notes. “It was also the most expensive car in the world, twice the price of a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.”
Gallery: 5 More Dead Brands That Need to Return as EV Makers (Autoweek)
The era of electric cars has sparked the biggest wave of automaker launches in decades. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine an all-new automaker appearing out of the blue in the 1990s; if a completely new automaker was to appear in the U.S. at all, odds are it would have been the work of an existing major company, as with Saturn’s launch. But that era pales in comparison to the number of standalone brands launched in the past decade—a trend not showing signs of slowing despite a great many startup flameouts, with more still to come.
After all, if Borgward can be successfully relaunched in China after decades of absence, then other brands that have been gone just as long may have a shot, too.
Here are five more dead brands among many we’d like to see come back in the future as EV makers.
The Raymond Loewy-penned coupe was a Studebaker model, one that seemed to hit the right design note in a time period that was not known for subtle automotive style. The visually quiet coupe was still a bit of a polarizing design, one that didn’t seem to be firmly tied to any one particular decade even though it features some echoes of midcentury modern architecture. And despite being around for a relatively short period of time, it went on to have an incredibly lengthy afterlife as its own brand that spanned several owners and donor platforms.
The case for it: The grille-less design is unusually well suited to an EV, and the the Avanti has already played an EV in Gattaca, where various midcentury cars were the bases for electric vehicles in the future.
The case against it: Avanti (and Studebaker) comeback attempts have been surprisingly numerous, and have had varying rates of success. Also, one has to actually like the original styling to begin with, so perhaps the appeal is always going to be narrow. How much of the original styling could be retained in the present day without it seeming like a restomod or a purely retro exercise is also an open question.
Its first vehicle should be: A modern take on the original coupe, as treacherous as that design exercise would be given the brand’s history of comebacks. But that still sounds better than some other things that had been attempted by Studebaker comeback attempts. And electric coupes are not exactly in abundance at the moment because automakers are busy fielding crossovers of different sizes.
2) DAF
A Dutch marque that’s not too far from celebrating its 100th anniversary, DAF is best known today as a maker of trucks. But until its passenger car business was bought out by Volvo, DAF had focused on budget machines famous for their continuously variable transmissions, having taken the technology mainstream decades before it became commonplace in the passenger car world. DAF cars were also sold in the U.S. for a while, in the heyday of small and inevitably quirky foreign cars, often sold by dealerships hosting half a dozen different brands.
The case for it: DAF the truck maker is still in business, so getting back into the manufacture of passenger cars would not be a stretch as it would be for a company starting from scratch. It just has to hit the right note with a new passenger car.
The case against it: DAF is not well remembered outside of Europe, and outside of Holland and Belgium. They were popular in the U.K. for a time, but their geographic reach was not wide back in the day, despite sales stateside.
Its first vehicle should be: A hatchback or a small sedan, in the spirit of the marque’s later models like the DAF 55 and Volvo 66.
3) International Harvester
For a company that was primarily a heavy-truck and farming equipment manufacturer, IH had a surprising number of hits on its hands in the 1960s and 1970s for the size of its passenger lineup. While the company itself had been into light trucks for decades, and offered large passenger models like the Travelall, it’s perhaps best remembered today for the smaller Scout models, production of which lasted until 1980.
The case for it: As the Bronco has just demonstrated, and as Jeep Wrangler sales continue to demonstrate every year, there is plenty of space in the market for retro-styled and rugged 4x4s. At the very least, it seems difficult to have a dud with this kind of recipe.
The case against it: This is perhaps something that Hummer has covered at the moment, with a very expensive truck and sport utility duo in the works. Also, what exactly do the words International Harvester mean to a younger generation of car buyers? A market for electric 4x4s could still be some time off, as well.
Its first vehicle should be: An SUV in the mold of the Scout II. Pure pandering, but not a bad recipe for success either. After all, it can’t be a small two-seat convertible named after a type of coffee.
4) Saab
Saab as we know it has been gone for a decade, but astute readers will recall that it came back as a zombie brand of sorts with NEVS using the platforms and plant of former Saab models to produce electric vehicles in small numbers. So clearly there was some demand there that materialized despite the advanced age of the design involved and the somewhat batch-made nature of the NEVS operation. But NEVS is not Saab and you can’t buy their cars here, or in many other places in Europe where Saab had a presence.
The case for it: Saab enthusiasts remain a very active community in a number of crucial regions, and there are still plenty of cars on the road.
The case against it: The body styles that Saab was known for are not particularly hot at the moment, so a successful relaunch would have to engage in some Borgward-style catering to actual consumer interests of the moment, which means some inevitable crossovers.
Its first vehicle should be: Not a crossover, but a modern take on the 900 in coupe and cabrio form, since that is inevitably the model that Saab enthusiasts and non-owners alike seem to agree held a lot of appeal for a long time. It certainly helps that there are currently no affordable electric coupes or convertibles that one can buy, and there won’t be any for quite some time as automakers chase volume with crossovers.
5) Packard
Over 120 years old now, Packard is perhaps one of the most missed automakers among those that folded in the second half of the 20th century. It carried U.S. presidents and the Soviet political elite alike, offering plenty of competition to other elite automakers of the day, and until its last decade it managed to keep a lot of that competitors at bay.
The case for it: Packard happens to be one of the more fondly remembered dormant marques from this era, and its name and styling still evokes images of an era of luxury and taste.
The case against it: While vintage Packards are still around, it’s difficult to predict what the brand would mean to current generations of car buyers. It’s worth noting that even major automakers have stayed away from revival attempts, so there is perhaps not that much enthusiasm (or nostalgia) out there for yet another luxury brand. Just how well the design language of a marque that’s been gone that long can translate into the present day aesthetics is an open question.
Its first vehicle should be: A midsize luxury convertible, vaguely akin to a Mercedes-Benz E-Class. This segment is not covered at the moment and won’t be for quite some time, it appears, until Maserati releases a battery-electric version of the GranCabriolet. Packard’s model should aim to be a bit on the luxury side of the equation—more a boulevard cruiser than a GT. It wouldn’t be the most affordable model out there, but it could carve out a niche for itself.
6/6 SLIDES
Production ran from 1975 until 1986, with just 531 examples finding well-funded buyers. One of the cars was built as a Bentley at the factory, per customer request.
The 1980 model year Camargue that Artcurial will offer later this month was sold new to the US, and was bought by the consignor in 1990. The Camargue has been looked after by the permanent mechanic of the consigning collector since joining a stable of some 30 other English cars. The auction house notes that the car showed just 28,800 miles in 1993 and displays just 33,300 today, therefore covering very modest exercise miles over the past 30 years.
The auction house estimates this example to bring between 50,000 and 80,000 euros, or between $59,000 and $95,000.
Camargues do come up for auction with some regularity, and the estimate here is very much the going rate for one of these, which may surprise some given the low miles. Of course, there aren’t really too many high-mileage examples of the Camargue compared to other 1980 model-year cars, so this is perhaps not as unusual a factor in this sale. The color scheme of this example is also not uncommon, as you won’t find too many examples in loud or unusual colors. Still, it’d not a slenderizing color.
It’s also worth noting that the Camargue’s appreciation curve has remained rather flat since the mid-1990s, back when the latest examples were about a decade old, and they haven’t really moved since. This means that the Camargue has outperformed the Silver Shadows and Silver Spurs of the time, which can be found in just about any condition, but has not been propelled into the stratosphere, as Rolls-Royce and Bentley models from this time period have remained relatively affordable. It’s safe to say that interest in the model has remained relatively flat as well, and the vast majority of existing examples have been well looked after.
As the Camargue is rapidly approaching the 50-year mark, it remains to be seen whether there will be renewed interest in the model at a time when supercars and luxury cars of the 1980s are seeing serious interest from collectors. Its design has come full circle, with Rolls-Royce embracing a similar aesthetic at the moment, and it remains a rare bird even among Rolls-Royce and Bentley models of the era. About the only thing missing is a factory cabriolet version that would have made it just the thing for the French Riviera back in the day.
Visit the auction website to view the full list of lots from the upcoming sale.
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15: Made use of cars and trucks sit on the profits lot at Autometrics High quality Used Autos on March 15, 2021 in El Cerrito, California. Utilized automobile selling prices have surged 17 % throughout the pandemic and economists are checking the market as a […]
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![a car parked in front of a truck: Rolls' uncompromising flagship coupe, the Camargue, wore an Italian suit that is beginning to look quite prescient. This one is headed to auction soon.](https://i3.wp.com/www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/rare-rolls-royce-camargue-is-hitting-the-auction-block/"default":"load":"default","w":"80","h":"40","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AALVqKA.img?w=1600&resize=1600)
![a car parked in a parking lot: The Pininfarina design was quite radical for the time, but time has also allowed it to mellow a bit.](https://i0.wp.com/www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/rare-rolls-royce-camargue-is-hitting-the-auction-block/"default":"load":"default","w":"80","h":"45","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AALVxZX.img?w=1600&resize=1600)
![a small child in a car: This color combo was just the ticket in 1980.](https://i3.wp.com/www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/rare-rolls-royce-camargue-is-hitting-the-auction-block/"default":"load":"default","w":"80","h":"45","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AALVpiL.img?w=1600&resize=1600)
![a close up of an engine: The 6.75-liter V8 provided plenty of power, but the Camargue was not know for quick footwork.](https://i0.wp.com/www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/rare-rolls-royce-camargue-is-hitting-the-auction-block/"default":"load":"default","w":"80","h":"45","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AALVzXZ.img?w=1600&resize=1600)
